• Media type: E-Book; Report
  • Title: The economic microgeography of diversity and specialization
  • Contributor: Andersson, Martin [Author]; Larsson, Johan P. [Author]; Wernberg, Joakim [Author]
  • imprint: Stockholm: Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN), 2017
  • Language: English
  • Keywords: geocoding ; D24 ; attenuation ; R12 ; specialization ; productivity ; agglomeration economies ; L23 ; externalities ; diversity ; knowledge spillovers
  • Origination:
  • Footnote: Diese Datenquelle enthält auch Bestandsnachweise, die nicht zu einem Volltext führen.
  • Description: As cities increasingly become centers of economic growth and innovation, there is a need to understand their inner workings and organization in greater detail. We use ge-coded firm-level panel data at the sub-city level to assess the long-standing question whether agglomeration economies derive from specialization (within-industry) or diversity (between-industry). We show that these two types of externalities co-exist, but differ in their spatial distribution and attenuation within cities. There are robust positive effects of diversity and specialization on firms' TFP growth at the local within-city neighborhood level, especially for firms in high-tech and knowledge-intensive activities. While specialization effects are bound to the local sub-city level, we demonstrate a positive effect of overall diversity also at the city-wide level. The results resonate with the idea that urban economies provide a mix of industrial diversity and specialisation. A location in a within-city industry cluster in a diversified, large city appears to let firms enjoy the benefits of local industry-specific externalities, while reaping the general city-wide benefits of a diversified city.
  • Access State: Open Access